In 1982, a young lady named Diana decided she wanted to clean windows for a living. She enlisted her friend Nadine and the two of them went door-to-door in North Seattle asking whoever answered if they could clean their windows. The two young ladies in their twenties were not only inexperienced but also did not have the money for a ladder. They would ask the homeowner if they had a ladder they could use, and, if not, would go to neighbors until they found one to borrow! Surprisingly, this also led to more work!
It being difficult to work and market the business at the same time, Diana soon turned to advertising. The ads brought in more work than the two of them could handle, and Diana began to realize that she had a real business with a real future. It just wanted to grow, as satisfied customers were wanting new appointments and the ads were bringing new customers every day. In these early days, calls came to an answering machine while the young ladies cleaned windows, and Diana found herself returning these calls late into the evening. She soon decided to hire a window cleaner to replace her so she could answer incoming calls "live" during the day as well as organize appointments and work schedules for the following days. Nadine eventually came "inside" to call the growing customer base for new appointments as new window cleaners were hired to handle the increasing numbers of customers.
The business grew substantially over the next five years. Ads were running in seven Yellow Page books and numerous newspapers covering much of Puget Sound, and the business now supported the families of a growing number of window cleaners. Once again, Diana found herself at a crossroads as the business had become a management challenge just at a time when important life changes were happening for her. She had nurtured the business from startup to solid profitability and size, but she decided that she wanted someone else to take the torch and continue the work she had begun.
In 1987, Diana sold the business to Dori and Wil Claus of Mercer Island. Dori, like Diana, believed that customer satisfaction was the number one goal, and that if a customer was unhappy, so was she. Dori took over running the business with that goal in mind, and with the help of her businessman husband, developed systems that allowed her to manage a larger business. In the years since, she has overseen significant growth, the development of a capable staff and fostered the loyalty of our window cleaners, a number of which have been with the us for 10-20 years, all the while maintaining the focus on customer satisfaction.
We Do Windows, Inc. has served over 20,000 customers throughout Puget Sound and we continue to grow through customer referrals. You can trust us to respect your privacy and property while we do our job. Our dedicated staff and window cleaners are here to serve you. We also clean gutters and do pressure washing. Just give us a call today, and you will be glad you did!
